Chickpeas are one of those pantry staples that we almost always have on hand. If you don't have a can or two lurking in a cabinet somewhere, add it to your grocery list immediately. A great vegetarian source of protein, the key to the vegan miracle ingredient aquafaba, and all-around delicious, chickpeas are indispensable. If you're still not convinced, take a look at these 25 incredible, versatile recipes — including desserts! — that you can make with a humble can of chickpeas.

Yes, you might consider chickpeas a health food, but once you try this recipe, you'll see that they can be a snack food too. Once you master this technique, we bet you'll be making popcorn a lot less frequently.

If you're looking for a new flavor to add to your repertoire, make it sumac. This spice plays well with onions and brings a bright, tart flavor with just a hint of muskiness. It's the perfect addition to a chickpea salad.

Tofu isn't the only ingredient that can stand in for eggs in a scramble. This make-ahead vegan breakfast sandwich is deceptively delicious. Just make sure you get the texture right by mashing half of the chickpeas before mixing them in with the rest of the ingredients.

One of the best things about chickpeas is that they are so versatile. Their mild flavor is the perfect backdrop for stronger contenders like fennel. And not that you need a reminder, but don't skip the baked goat cheese — it's magic.

Somewhere between a veggie burger and falafel, these sweet potato and chickpea patties exist. Serve them with a salad or stuff them in a pita — anything goes, as long as you've got the Sriracha-yogurt sauce.

If the extent of your baked potato toppings are sour cream and cheese, it's time for you to branch out. This sautéed chickpea and spinach concoction has strong curry flavors and plenty of black pepper and garlic as well.

We love just about every Ottolenghi recipe that we try, and this one is no exception. While the recipe calls for Swiss chard, if you are making this out of chard season try a mix of spinach and arugula or your favorite kind of kale.

If you normally only eat falafel at restaurants because you don't want to get involved in deep-frying, try this baked falafel recipe. It's a million times easier, and you can even count on it being easier to clean up after.

Sweet potatoes, chickpeas, and tomato sauce might seem like an unlikely trio of ingredients, but that's only until you try them together. Then you'll wonder why you haven't been making this recipe all along.

You might not believe us when we tell you this snack is vegan — especially after you taste them — but this recipe makes use of nutritional yeast, that good ol' vegan go-to ingredient. It really works wonders here.

Another falafel-esque chickpea and veggie patty, yes, but this one comes with a couple of benefits. First, it's a great way to use up some of that excess zucchini you have. And second, red onion jam. You read that correctly: jam. It's certain to become your new favorite condiment.

You normally see chickpeas and tahini together in hummus recipes, but this recipe combines them in a new way. The perfectly crispy tofu and chickpeas are ideal over your favorite grain bowl, and the salty, savory tahini sauce gives everything just the right depth of flavor.

We promised that chickpeas could be used for desserts, too, and blondies are our proof. The chickpeas and a bit of their liquid get blended with butter (or butter substitute if you want to make them vegan) to replace the eggs in a traditional blondie recipe. Make them for your friends and family and see if anyone notices a difference.